The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is a non-profit trade association that promotes the appropriate development and application of all aspects of wind energy in Canada, including the creation of a suitable policy environment.

TGIF! We hosted our annual Canadian Wind Energy Association Spring Forum this week in Gatineau, Quebec, and there was an inspiring level of interest in the program. The focus was on the significant level of political, policy and procurement developments for wind energy in recent months and where to collectively go from here.

Going into this week, here are some of the developments that helped draw attention to the wind energy industry and piqued interest in the event:

By the end of this week, we learned of two more important developments that will improve the prospects for wind energy:

The Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli announced that Ontario plans to purchase another 600 MW of wind energy!

The Quebec Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Pierre Arcand, released the Quebec Energy Policy 2030 that includes the goal of increasing total renewable energy production by 25 per cent.

Left to right: CanWEA President Robert Hornung, The Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Bruce Campbell, the President and CEO of Ontario’s Independent System Operator (IESO) at the CanWEA Spring Forum in Gatineau, QC, on April 5, 2016. Photo by Teckles Photo Inc.Left to right: Pierre Arcand, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources following his introduction by Stephane Desdunes, Director of Development for EDF EN Canada, the title sponsor, at the CanWEA Spring Forum in Gatineau, QC, on April 5, 2016. Photo by Teckles Photo Inc.

When speaking about the positive drivers for wind energy in Canada in his opening remarks, CanWEA President Robert Hornung said “These are all important milestones for our industry, but I would argue the most important change for the world of wind energy in the last six months has been the renewed public, media, and political attention focused on the greatest challenge facing our generation – climate change.”

Evidence of the increasing acceptance of the need for Canada to transition to a low carbon economy and a growing willingness to take the steps required to get there were apparent in the closing keynote by the federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, who said, “I think you will agree with me that we can do even better and be even more ambitious to secure a cleaner energy future. Can Canada take a bigger share of the global market? I like to think so and when it comes to renewable energy, we all need to walk the talk, starting with the government.”

Left to right: Jacob Irving (President of the Canadian Hydro Association), Robert Hornung, (President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association), The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and John Gorman (President of the Canadian Solar Industries Association), at the CanWEA Spring Forum in Gatineau, QC, on April 6, 2016, where the Minister acknowledged the critical role of renewables in collaboratively addressing Canada’s climate change challenge. Photo by Teckles Photo Inc.

Minister McKenna also said she’s really counting on all of us to take an active part in the consultations on climate change and announced that her team will be launching a web portal on Earth Day, April 22 where submissions can be made that will inform the findings and recommendations of the four working groups struck as part of the agreement with provincial Premiers – we’ll be watching for that!

In closing, clearly this is an exciting and critical time for wind energy and moving from ambition to action creates a huge opportunity for the wind energy industry. We have a lot of work to do to turn potential to reality. More about that in future blogs.

Featured Photo: Tracy Walden, Director of Media and Communications at the Canadian Wind Energy Association and The Honourable Catherine McKenna, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Photo by Teckles Photo Inc.